wenatchee - chelan - leavenworth

This year we were blessed to be invited back to Ms. Cooper's house in Wenatchee!  To kick this vacation off right we picked Jessica (aka Skipper) up at the train station near Seattle and headed over.  I'm not one to make a fuss about my birthday, and this year was supposed to be no different.  My sweet husband did stock my car with some excellent road trip snacks before we left.  My children, however, betrayed me!  They told Jess it was my birthday.  Some secret keepers they are.  It turned out to be a pretty great day, and I was even surprised with a cake!
The kids love Ms. Cooper, and her sweet pup Henry (as you will see from the sleeping arrangements). She even had Star Wars toys which Noah found in the garage and didn't even bother coming inside to play. An amazing hostess with a love for kiddos and a really lovely home, we may never leave.  She even braided Ava's hair!
Did I mention she has an AMAZING garden?!
Chelan! Still, and probably will always be, one of my favorite places to be. The lake is beautiful! Kids had a great time swimming, building sand castles, playing at the park, and chatting with Ms. Cooper. I love the first picture, Ava is whistling while she works!
While swimming the kids experienced a Chelan tidal wave.  You can hear Noah screaming.


These next pictures are my favorite. It took my back to my childhood when Seth and I used to find old logs or boards and play with them for hours!
On our way home we went through Leavenworth! Hat Shoppe, candy shop, putt-putt, and live music. Awesome.
Putt-Putt in the rain! I won't sugar coat this...the kids were a little grumpy. In the end we got a snack and had some fun! I love how Noah lines up his putts. Then Ava Roo got her first, and SECOND hole-in-one!
Leavenworth, it was fun, but we must head for home. That's only about 2 hours away...right? Wrong. We were stuck on I-90 for FOUR hours. Brutal. Ava fell asleep in the car, and Noah claimed he wasn't tired. He fought sleep and this is where I found him an hour later.

MY FAVORITE MOMENT: